Week two is in the bag and it brought out the best of Patriots quarterback (QB) Tom Brady and the worst of Dallas running-back (RB) Ezekiel Elliot. The New England Patriots came out of the gates blazing against the New Orleans Saints and totally dominated for a 36-20 victory. Tom Brady (30 of 39 passes for 447 yards and 3 touchdowns) was dominant and silenced the doubters. It’s worthy of note that the Patriots lost the first game of the season when they won their last three Super Bowls.

The Dallas Cowboys visited Denver’s Mile High Stadium and left with their tails squarely between their legs following a 42-17 defeat. The Broncos’ run game was dominant and QB Trevor Siemian was outstanding (22 of 32 passes for 231 yards and 4 touchdowns).

The statistics, however, barely tell the story. While not totally inept, the Dallas offense led by QB Dak Prescott looked ordinary, and Ezekiel Elliot’s run game of (9 rushes for 8 yards) was completely suffocated.

The Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Philadelphia Eagles 27-20 in an entertaining encounter, while the Oakland Raiders totally dominated the lowly New York Jets in a 45-20 victory. The Washington Redskins emerged victorious 20-27 against the Los Angeles Rams in a surprisingly lively game, and the Atlanta Falcons made Green Bay Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers look clumsy and inexperienced for the better part of a 34-23 victory.

Here are some of our ‘must-see’ games for week three:

GIANTS (0-2) at EAGLES (1-1)

— These division rivals exchanged victories in the two games last year and, with the Giants looking for their first win this season, expect desperation from the New York team. The Giants’ offensive line has been atrocious for the opening games, allowing eight sacks, and have QB Eli Manning running for his life. There have been 164 teams since 1980 to start a season 0-3 and only five of them have made the play-offs. The Eagles are 3-0 in their last three home games against the Giants and, if they achieve 4-0 on Sunday, based on the statistics, the Giants have a 3 per cent chance of making it to the post-season. The Eagles’ impressive defensive line is built to out-muscle this New York offensive line and so the team should secure a dominant victory.

FALCONS (2-0) at LIONS (2-0)

— Both teams are yet to experience defeat this season, but the game may very well come down to a battle between the Lions’ defence and Atlanta’s offense. JustBet is starting the Lions as 4-point underdogs on Sunday, but such has been the case for both of their games this season. The Lions are allowing 289 yards per game, seventh-best in the NFL, while the Falcons are averaging 368 yards offensively, eighth-best in the NFL. But the Lions are sixth in scoring at 29.5 points per game, while Atlanta is eighth (28.5). Detroit is 17th offensively at 312 yards per game and Atlanta is 22nd defensively at 334 yards. Expect the combination of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones to make the difference in what will probably be the game of the week.

TEXANS (1-1) at PATRIOTS (1-1)

— This is going to be an interesting matchup as the Patriots know how to light up the scoreboard while, on paper, the Texans don’t give up a lot of yards. The Patriots impressively bounced back to winning ways in Week 2 and totally deserve the 13-point handicap offered by Justbet, but they shouldn’t underestimate this Texan defence.

Additionally, the Texan offense led by rookie QB Deshaun Watson (first NFL game last week) and receiver DeAndre Hopkins also rebounded last week with an impressive 13-9 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. A second-straight victory for the Patriots is definitely in the cards, but after the exploits of the aforementioned Watson last week, this will not be a walk in the park. However, the Patriots should win in a close encounter.

RAIDERS (2-0) at REDSKINS (1-1)

— This will be the first meeting between these two teams since 2013, but the Oakland team is looking like a well-oiled machine at the moment, on both sides of the ball, while Washington looks fairly average. The Redskins got their first win last week against the Los Angeles Rams but allowed the game to be closer than necessary. However, they’re at home this week and should be more comfortable. Despite the lack of recent history between these teams, the form of Raiders QB Derek Carr, receiver Michael Crabtree (six catches for 80 yards and three touchdowns last week) and the rushing attack should prove a little too much for the Redskins’ defence and the home fans may leave the Fedex Field a bit disappointed.

WEEK 3 WEEKEND SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

RAVENS at JAGUARS

BROWNS at COLTS

GIANTS at EAGLES

DOLPHINS at JETS

BRONCOS at BILLS

SAINTS at PANTHERS

STEELERS at BEARS

FALCONS at LIONS

BUCCANEERS at VIKINGS

TEXANS at PATRIOTS

SEAHAWKS at TITANS

BENGALS at PACKERS

CHIEF at CHARGERS

RAIDERS at REDSKINS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

COWBOYS at CARDINALS